Eggshell Powder as a Calcium Supplement

With the North Node of the Moon in traditional Taurus (conjunct Mercury Rx) and Earth Mama dwarf planet Ceres newly in Cancer (May 16 to July 24), there's a focus on simple, basic home remedies and folk remedies that utilize whatever you have lying around the house to cure what ails you or your family. This is a quick and easy recipe for making your own calcium supplement at home.

 

Making your own eggshell powder is a good calcium supplement for people who can't take vitamins in pill form. (Or for people who are cheap!) The powder is calcium carbonate. 

 

Directions:

 

Use organic eggs or farm eggs that are au naturel. 

 

Save about a dozen eggshells. Wash the egg white out of the shells before saving them, and leave them out to dry. 

 

Spread the shells in a pan with the inner part of the shell facing up. 

 

Put them in a low temperature oven (200 to 225 degrees Celsius) for about 20 minutes or until they're dry and crispy.

 

(Some people boil the shells in a pot of water before putting them in the oven, but I put them right in the oven.)

 

Break the shells up into small pieces, and grind them in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle until they are a fine powder.

 

Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of powder into your food as a supplement. I usually eat it in hot chia cereal or in quinoa. 

 

You can adjust the dose as you like, but don't go overboard because too much calcium can create kidney stones.

 

Dehydrating Garden Produce to Preserve It

I harvested these berries on June 9, 2021 and dehydrated them in the oven. This was the first time I've dehydrated strawberries, and they turned out nicely.  

The finished product - minus a few that I couldn't help but pop in my mouth, of course! Delicious.

If you're looking for an easy plant to grow, look no further than strawberries. They're a hardy perennial plant, which means that if they like where they're living, they will come back year after year without replanting. The plants also spread out considerably, sending out runners that make new plants at the end of each growing season.

I started out with three or four strawberry plants, and in three years, they have spread out into a very nice bed.

If you don't have actual gardening space, strawberries also do well in containers, so they can be grown on a patio or balcony.  

The strawberry patch:

 

 

I dehydrated one full cookie sheet and one small, square baking pan of halved strawberries in the oven. I don't have a dehydrator, but you can obviously also do them in an actual dehydrator.

I washed the berries, hulled them (took off the green tops), and cut them in half.

I lined the cookie sheet and baking pan with parchment paper and dehydrated the halved berries in the oven at 200 degrees. The berries should be placed on the parchment paper cut side up, and there should be a little space around each of the berry pieces. None of the berry pieces should be touching each other. It took about five hours for them all to dehydrate. I flipped the berries over once halfway through. 

I cut my berries in half, but they would dehydrate faster if you cut them into quarters or slices.

The smaller pieces dried faster, and I took them out of the oven at various intervals, leaving the bigger pieces to continue drying.

If you do start this process, make sure you do it on a day when you are going to be home for the duration. You will have to check on the berries at various times. 

Quick and Easy Chia Seed Hot Cereal Recipe - Low Carb, Low Glycemic, Alkaline, and Helps to Remove Heavy Metals

It can be challenging to find breakfast foods when you're on a restricted diet, but this is a quick and easy breakfast recipe that is low in carbohydrates, low glycemic, dairy and gluten-free, and high in protein while also being alkalizing and a good source of fibre.

Quick and Easy Chia Seed Hot Cereal

2 TBSP chia seed

3/4 cup of water (filtered preferable)

chopped Granny Smith apple (I use about 1/3 of a medium apple)

pecan pieces

wild blueberries (I use frozen or freeze dried berries)

cinnamon to taste 

Other possible additions: raspberries, walnuts, ground flax seed, coconut cream or coconut milk

If you don't have to worry about carbs and sugars, you could add raisins, dried cherries, and/or maple syrup.

Put two tablespoons of chia seed in a medium saucepan. Add 3/4 of a cup of water, or a little less if you like thicker cereal. Stir the chia seeds and water until there are no clumps, and let the mixture sit for 5 or 10 minutes. The seeds will absorb the water. Stir again, and turn the heat on low-medium under the saucepan. Add the apple and cinnamon. Bring to a slight simmer. Add the pecan pieces (they get a bit soggy if you add them earlier). Simmer for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if it gets too thick or starts to stick to the pot. When the apple is slightly soft, toss in the raspberries and mix gently.

Voila! A super easy hot breakfast that is good for even low carb and low sugar diets. (Granny Smith apples and berries are low-glycemic fruits.)

I will admit - this hot cereal on its own won't stay with you for very long. I usually eat a hard-boiled egg and the rest of the Granny Smith apple with peanut butter along with this cereal, and that sticks to the ribs a bit longer.  

I make mine on the runnier side so it doesn't stick to the saucepan. Hot tip: after you eat, rinse the saucepan and your bowl and spoon immediately because this stuff sticks like glue if it dries.

I consider myself neither a talented nor an enthusiastic cook, so if this recipe is simple enough for me, it's simple enough for almost anyone! 

This recipe is also good for removing heavy metals in the body. The chia seed, Granny Smith apple, and wild blueberries are all good options for this. 

Post-Holiday Alkalizing Avocado Salad Dressing

I hope you have all been enjoying your solstice/Christmas/holidays! This is the time of year when there are so many delicious treats to savour and share with family and friends. I can't eat any of those delectables anymore (thanks a lot, Bayer), but I certainly cherish my memories of holidays past and the celebratory foods that went with them.

One issue that can pop up during or after the holidays is excess acidity in the body. Sugar, flour, alcohol, coffee/tea, meat, and dairy (basically all the good stuff) are all acidic, and consuming these things too often or in too great a quantity can create health stress.

(I know a lot of people have denounced the benefits of eating an alkaline-heavy diet, but I absolutely experience ill effects when I consume too many acidic foods without enough alkaline foods to balance them off. So I'm going to thumb my nose at those people and proceed...)

Due to the ill effects of fluoroquinolone poisoning, I'm on a steady diet of salads, which is one way to keep your digestive system on the alkaline side while also keeping blood sugar levels in check. But I have to say, I was getting extremely tired of my standard olive oil/lemon juice/apple cider vinegar dressing.

I'm not an imaginative (or a particularly talented) cook, so I was really happy when I figured out a new and super easy alkaline salad dressing recipe. I thought I would share in case you'd like to employ it as you come out of the blissful haze of holiday indulgences! I don't measure the ingredients, and I don't use a food processor to make it - why clean a food processor when you can use a whisk?

Easy Peasy Post-Holiday Recipes to Alkalize Your System

The holidays are upon us, and for those who participate in holiday gatherings and parties, there are many opportunities to indulge in drinks and rich food.

But sugar, alcohol, processed foods, white flour, meats, and cheeses are all acid-forming and can throw the body's pH level off. Digestive problems, aches and pains, grumpiness, and low energy can result.

Even for those who do not participate in the holiday hub-bub, the change of seasons is a good time to do a little cleansing and re-balancing. Winter solstice, in particular, is a good time to be gentle on our bodies, as we are adjusting to less daylight (in the northern hemisphere) and often decreased physical energy levels.

These are two very easy recipes I whipped up for alkalizing purposes. I'm not a big fan of cooking, and even I can handle these! I don't include specific measurements for the most part, and you can add or eliminate ingredients to your own taste. 

Alkalizing Spicy Coconut Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

4 or 5 no-salt organic vegetable boullion cubes (to make either 8 or 10 cups of broth)
chopped green cabbage
chopped red/purple cabbage
chopped carrot
1/2 cup pearl barley
diced onion
fresh garlic, minced
turmeric
cumin
cayenne pepper
sea salt
1 or 2 cans of organic coconut milk (can be left out if you don't enjoy coconut)

Directions:

Dissolve the vegetable boullion cubes in a pot of boiling water according to directions.

In a separate large pot, cook the onion in coconut oil or olive oil until transparent. Add the chopped carrot, green cabbage, and red/purple cabbage and cook until slightly tender. Add a bit of water to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add the minced garlic.

Pour the vegetable boullion into the large pot with the other ingredients.

Bring to a low boil and add the pearl barley. Allow to boil for about 20 minutes.

Add turmeric. I would start with 1 heaping TBSP and add to your taste.

Add cumin. I would start with 1 TSP and add to your taste.

Add cayenne pepper. I would start with 1/2 TSP and add to your taste. A little cayenne pepper goes a long way, so err on the side of using less, and add tiny amounts until it has the spice level you like.

Add a bit of sea salt to your taste.

Allow to boil for about 20 more minutes. You can add some extra water, if necessary, to create the right flavour and consistency.

When the vegetables and barley are soft, turn the heat down to below boiling.

Add 1 or 2 cans of coconut milk and stir into the broth. (optional)

Easy Alkalizing Stir-Fry Sauce

Ingredients

1 can organic coconut milk
turmeric
cumin
cayenne pepper
chili garlic sauce (optional)
tiny pinch of sea salt
dried or fresh basil

Directions:

Melt the can of coconut milk in a pot over low-medium heat while stirring. Do not boil.

Add turmeric. I would start with 1/2 TBSP and add to your taste.

Add cumin. I would start with 1/2 TSP and add to your taste.

Add cayenne pepper. I would start with 1/8 TSP and add to your taste.

Add a tiny pinch of sea salt. 

Add dried basil or chopped fresh basil.

If you like spice, you can add a small amount of chili garlic sauce to add to the flavour.

Add the sauce to stir-fried vegetables, and serve over quinoa (alkaline) or brown rice (slightly acidic).


Both recipes keep well in the refrigerator and can be reheated. 

Remember to drink plenty of lemon juice in water to add to the alkalizing effects.

The optimum pH level for the human body is around 7.365. pH testing strips can be purchased at health food stores or most drug stores.

Happy Holidays and Happy Alkalizing!